18 Natural Garden Laws for Cottage Country

Understanding Your Land

Nature knows best. Natural systems have evolved efficient solutions over millennia. When we work alongside these processes, we create resilient gardens that require less work from us.

Watch and listen to your land before planting. Understanding your cottage’s unique conditions creates the foundation for success. I always tell people to notice where snow piles, water flows, and where the sun hits longest.

Right plant, very right place. I encourage you to embrace your sandy soil or rocky terrain rather than fighting it.

Plants with different root structures complement each other. Pairing deep-rooted plants with shallow-rooted ones creates resilient landscapes that access nutrients at various soil depths, improve soil structure, and better withstand dry spells and heavy rains.

Building a Plant Community

Plant densely, plant in layers, and create a community. This layering mimics natural plant communities and creates gardens that function ecologically while requiring minimal maintenance.

Let plants be plants. Some plants grow as individuals, others in groups or colonies. I’ve found that using these tendencies creates landscapes with lower maintenance.

I use a groundcover layer, a vignette layer, and a structure layer. Even small gardens are best with groundcovers, structural elements, and seasonal interest to function year-round.

Think of your garden as a community of plants working together. Group plants with similar water and light needs, creating self-sustaining communities.

Add a few ruderal plants for quick impact while the slower natives establish. When I design gardens, I include quick-establishing plants for first-year impact while slower-growing natives develop, ensuring your garden impresses from the start.

Plant it and they will come. Native plants attract birds and pollinators, bringing nature closer to you and enhancing your cottage.

Designing Your Garden

I use small plants and put them in the ground no more than 12 inches apart. This helps the garden establish more quickly and suppresses weeds—important for gardens with intermittent care.

Gardening for life is playing an infinite game. I’ve learned to embrace that my gardens are never “finished.” They are constantly evolving systems where plants find their way, surprise me, and respond to gentle guidance rather than rigid control.

When I plant, I think about how nature would arrange things. Using groups of 3, 5, 8 or 13 plants creates plantings that appear naturally balanced rather than artificially arranged.

Show that your natural garden is intentional, not neglected. Including paths, furniture or sculpture signals a designed landscape.

Stewarding Your Landscape

Stop and look before you weed. Many apparent “problems” resolve naturally. This is valuable for properties visited intermittently.

Think of gardening as dancing with nature. Strategic pruning and selective weeding take less time than fighting natural tendencies.

Natural gardens become easier to care for over time. The first two years require more attention, but ecological gardens require significantly less maintenance over time.

Leave your garden standing through winter. This provides valuable winter habitat for wildlife and reduces fall maintenance tasks.